WATCHING MY FATHER SHAVE 

In the doorway of the dim hallway

I stood and watched you pose

Before the cracked mirror in the

Yellow light of the only bathroom 

Watched you assemble the three-

Piece razor, swirl the frayed brush in the

Soap mug until its foam was

Spread across your seamed face

 

Winced as you drew the sharp

Blade across the stiff gray

Bristles spouting on your cheek,

Spread by fingers to ease the razor’s passage

 

Heard you call for Mama to

Shave the places you could not reach

Even though her careless swipes raised

 Speckles of red down the nape of your neck

 

How proud I was when deputized to

Take her place. How carefully

I stroked to build your trust and

Spare us both the pain of wayward thrusts

 

Only later did I learn you

Viewed shaving as a test

That Life was a series of threats and

Existence hung by a fragile thread

 

Gerald Harris

December 25, 2012